Insight in the production of the Ridley Fenix Classic - Day 3

04/04/2013

On the calendar of many cycling lovers this is a very special week. Last Sunday we had the ‘Ronde van Vlaanderen’, next Sunday it’s Paris-Roubaix, two of the most demanding one-day-races in cycling. To celebrate this highlight of the classic season, we will give you insight in the production of the Ridley Fenix Classic, the frame used by Lotto-Belisol for these races.

You can win a Lotto-Belisol shirt autographed by the entire team which rode ‘Flanders’ and will ride Paris-Roubaix. That means Jürgen Roelandts, Lars Bak, Marcel Sieberg and the others. All you have to do, is tell us on Friday how many steps are necessary to convert a ‘nude’ frame into a frame wearing the ‘Classic’ design found on the Lotto-Belisol Fenix, and answer a subsidiary question. To help you, we will post about the different stages in the painting process in the following days.

Good luck!

Stage 5:

Once the paint is dry, the masked part that has to be painted next – in case of the Fenix this is the silver of the lining and the cobbles - is revealed and the painted red part is masked. The frame then goes back to the paint shop. The same process is repeated for the last colour: black (of our Ridley brand name).

Stage 6:

Once the last colour has been applied and dried, all masking material and the stickers are removed. Then the frame goes into the oven for three hours at a temperature of about 65°C/ 150°F. This speeds up the drying process. It then enters the clearcoat cabin for the finishing layer which determines the mat or shinny look of the frame. After spraying, the frame stays in this dustfree cabin for at least a night. It then goes into an oven of about 60°C/ 140°F for almost an hour. After this, a quality control of the paintjob is conducted and the frame is ready for assembly.

To enter our competition and have a chance at winning the autographed Lotto-Belisol shirt, just follow this link. The winner will be announced on Monday, April 8.